Saturday, June 30, 2007

Friday, June 29, 2007

Recently a Children's Festival was held in downtown St. Paul. These banners were stretched in various designs near the historic Landmark Center Building. To me they seem to be symbolic of life, in a way. They can be stretched and formed to make a beautiful design, as we often do with our own life, yet the fabric of life is fragile and needs care and attention so that it doesn't rent and tear. But,if that should occur, it needs experts and technicians to help restore it to its original shape or something closely approximating the original.Many of you asked about my sister. Amazingly she's on her way to recovery...slowly, but we are very encouraged. I had lots to do as an advocate for ongoing treatment and to set up her living quarters to facilitate her daily schedule but it's working out, with the help of her children. Now we all need to move on to enjoy the beautiful colours and design of life!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Leaf-bearing trees have a tendency to clog rain gutters. To avoid this problem, many homeowners apply leaf guards, which are a simple system of screens atop the gutters that help keep them clean and free of debris. One of the workers on my neighbor's house can be seen below.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

For those of you Minnesotans who have not been happy with these recent posts, this is the last one from Green Bay because I will be driving home to St. Paul tomorrow and will resume all my "legal" photographs. But, hasn't it been fun??

An illegal post because I'm posting from Green Bay on my visualstpaulblog. Don't report me to any blog police that may be lurking around ;>) I'll stop blogging these great photos (to some, I suppose, offensive?!) when I return to St. Paul about the middle of next week.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

There's a good explanation!!I'm back in Green Bay, Wisconsin since my sister was discharged from the hospital yesterday. Alleluia! She is doing much, much better than expected and is recovering with great virve! She needs to use a walker, will be visited by nurses, occupational and physical therapists, and I'll stay for about a week to help her very supportive family!!

However, I thought I'd post some "illegal photographs" here to let you see what "Titletown, USA" looks like to football fans. I have to use the central library so I probably will not be posting or commenting with regularity 'til I get back to St. Paul next week. See y'all then!! Gotta run back to the house now!!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

I guess squad cars aren't always needed! I noticed this officer patrolling downtown St. Paul streets one Saturday morning as I returned from the Farmers Market. He obligingly slowed down and posed as I snapped his photo from my car window. He takes seriously the promise "to protect and serve."

Monday, June 18, 2007

I feel like a juggler because I have so many themes in which I am interested: St. Paul monuments and statues, historic houses, street art, and many more. I decided to resurrect my Minnesota workers series, especially since summer weather is so pleasant to be out and about. These men are working in 90 degree heat, repairing a sidewalk in the Highland Village shopping area. They were pleased to have their photo taken and to know that I honored their work!

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Speaks for itself! Happy Father's Day! (No, my conservative DH would never drive around with this message; it belongs to a neighbor--lucky man!)But, we're pretty lucky, too. Thanks, Jim, for being a loving father, great grandfather, and a pretty super husband, too!!

Friday, June 15, 2007

For a series of articles on the history of transportation on the Mississippi, click here.

There are few rivers as beautiful or as rich in history as the Mississippi. Rivers, or any body of water, have always held a special fascination for me. I was born in a city on the shore of Lake Michigan, grew up along the Fox River in Wisconsin, sowed my wild oats in Chicago again by Lake Michigan, married and reared a family in Minnesota with the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers as favorite places of recreation. Today I took darlin' 4-yr-old granddaughter Olivia to Hidden Falls, a lovely park not far from our house. She squealed with delight at the sight of a paddle boat, fascinated by speed boats rapidly moving by, intriqued by kayaks, and delighted with the barge in the above photo. I felt the same as she! For more photos of the same barge, look here.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

The car is parked across the street from a neighborhood school and playground, used by elementary students during school hours and at other times for sports activities. The playground will get busier now that school is over because of summer sports. Our city has been on a campaign for several years to caution drivers and remind them of the laws. This resident apparently took the message to the streets in a public way!

"This sculpture was created in 1996, in honor of the 100th birthday celebration of the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was a Saint Paul resident. Project patron Garrison Keillor said, "'This sculpture was conceived as a figure in the midst of things, a figure you walk up to and talk to. [or hug!] Fitzgerald was not a general, or a statesman, or a mythological creature; he was a writer, and a writer encounters his public one by one, as readers. The magnificence of this piece is in its humanity, and will be more evident close up than from a distance.'" [and I took that suggestion literally]

The sculpture is a gift to the city from The Saint Paul Foundation.(Ref. St. Paul Parks and Recreation)

"This elegant Art Deco style statue was created by the Saint Paul native and internationally acclaimed artist, Paul Manship. The statue was commissioned by the family of Thomas Cochran and originally installed in Cochran Park in 1926. Because of vandalism, it was replicated and the original was removed to Como Park in 1967. In 1994, due to a neighborhood initiative by Alma Joseph and the Ramsey Hill Association, the sculpture was returned to its original location.

Paul Manship studied painting at what is now the Minnesota Museum of American Art. He also studied at the Arts Student League in New York City and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. It is here he worked as an apprentice with Isidore Konti. WIth Konti's support he received a three-year fellowship to the American Academy in Rome. In 1920 he moved his family to Paris and lived there until World War II forced him to move back to the United States. His finest work was done between the wars, culminating in his best known work, the Rockefeller Plaza Prometheus in New York City which looks over the Rockefeller Plaza ice rink." (Parks and Recreation)

Monday, June 11, 2007

As I surfed around the world looking at all your blogs, I felt somewhat dismayed that St. Paul had so few public monuments and statues, that is, until I really looked! In addition to the wooden carvings from fallen trees, our city has a respectable number of public art monuments and statues that I will continue to share with you.! (Now, all you people from around the world, don't fall all over yourself laughing when you see the dates that I post! We just don't have the ancient history as you do, but we're still interesting!!) Want to see more of The Source? Click here.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

In case you missed it...here's the winner of the Belmont Stakes with HER jockey. Rags to Riches is the first filly to win this race in over a century--since 1905, 102 years to be exact! More pictures of the race!

Friday, June 08, 2007

I never realized how difficult it is to capture an airplane in flight; I have lots to learn!! For three other attempts with partial success in capturing NWA in flight over my house, click to see them on my ExtraExtra blog.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

This building is Assumption Church in downtown St. Paul. I am still in Green Bay, WI but will return home tomorrow. After another week or two I shall go back to Green Bay to be with my sister after she has been discharged from the hospital. She just got out of ICU and was informed of her son's death and funeral which was held last Monday, June 4. (See the previous post for the details) It has been very difficult but an experience which I and her family have been able to endure because of the many thoughtful friends who have sent us strength through sympathy and encouraging comments. Thank you all.